Izaskun E. Larraņeta

Waterford - A 24-year-old Hamden man was killed early this morning on Interstate 395 when the car he was in struck a guardrail and propelled his vehicle into the path of a tractor-trailer.

State police said that Joseph Civitelli, was driving a GMC C1500 pick-up truck in the right lane of Interstate 395 in the northbound side when it drifted onto the right shoulder at a gradual angle. Police said Civitelli then cut sharply across both lanes into the center median. Police said after striking the median, the car flipped over the guardrail sliding across the two southbound lanes and into the path of the tractor-trailer driven by Arquimedes Virella of Providence, R.I.

Police said that Virella attempted to swerve and avoid Civitelli's car, but it struck the car while still in motion. The tractor-trailer struck the metal guardrail off the right shoulder of the southbound lanes.

Police said Civitelli's truck was then sent back into the center median, causing him to be ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

The accident was reported at about 2:30 a.m., closing the southbound side of the highway for more than five hours. The northbound side of the highway was also closed for about three hours as police investigated.